Consequences
by Lally
Summary: (Sequel to Seeing Eyes) The past is catching up on Matt but now Jeff is being implicated. Can Matt get away from the consequences once more? And will Jeff fall from grace with him?
1. Chapter one The Wrong Man

"Matt Hardy, WWF wrestler and father of Mollie (6), has always seemed to be such a calm man. A man utterly in control of his emotions. But behind that facade lies another man. A man with a violent history and a hidden past."  
  
Jeff punched a wall as Jay Reso, known as Christian to the fans, read the paper to him.  
  
"Dammit why did they have to find out? He hid it so well, he moved on. Why can't they?"  
  
"Because it isn't finished Jeffers." They all turned to face Matt who had quietly entered the room. "It's not dead and buried yet. I still have to pay my debts to society and they still have to find the others."  
  
"It's unfair, they're gonna give you the entire wrath because you're the only one they've got."  
  
"It was always the deal, Jeffro, I knew that and you knew that. We always knew it could happen and we knew what to do if it did."  
  
"It doesn't have to be this way though. It shouldn't be this way."  
  
"It is this way Jeff. There's nothing we can do to change it."  
  
"So what, we're just gonna sit here and wait for the police to burst through the door and take you away."  
  
"I don't think they're going to come yet. I think they want to wait and see if I try and warn the others.  
  
"Will you?"  
  
"They'll probably all ready know. If they don't they must be out of the country and that makes them untouchable."  
  
"Why don't you leave the country too?"  
  
"I'm on bail Jeff. I have no passport."  
  
"Shit." Jeff continued to punch the wall. Striking out again and again until his knuckles were bruised and bleeding. At last matt reached out to stop him. "Shit" Jeff repeated half heartedly as Matt pushed him down into a chair. He lay back in it for a minute before lifting his head as if to listen.  
  
"What?" Matt asked, knowing to trust his brother's senses.  
  
"Sirens."  
  
"Police?" Jeff nodded to Matt's question.  
  
"Looks like you were wrong Matt, they're coming after you." Jay Reso spoke while he parted the blind and looked.  
  
The group sat in silence. They heard the car door slam, footsteps along the corridor. Someone asked for the Hardys and the footsteps reached the door. Someone knocked. Chris Irvine (or Jericho) stood to open the door.  
  
Two uniformed officers stepped into the room. Matt stood as they entered, confused as to why they would come and fetch him, rather than just end his bail and call. He looked into the face of the policeman but the officer shook his head slightly.  
  
"Jeffrey Hardy." The police man looked at Jeff as he confirmed his identity. Jeff jerked his head up in surprise.  
  
"Yes"  
  
"We have to ask you to accompany us to the station. We would like to ask you some questions."  
  
"Do I have to go?" Jeff asked unsure of the situation.  
  
"No, but refusing to aid in the police in an investigation is a criminal offence."  
  
"That's a yes then." Jeff stood as he spoke.  
  
"Can I come with him?" Matt asked wanting to help his brother.  
  
"No."  
  
"He's blind for fucks sake." Matt yelled exasperated, throwing his arms into the air.  
  
"Someone may accompany him, but not you. You are part of the investigation."  
  
The room was silent for a few seconds.  
  
"I'll go." Jay offered rising to his feet.  
  
"I'll be fine on my own."  
  
"No, I'll come." Jay's voice was stronger this time. He had made his choice.  
  
The two officers turned to the door and held it open as Jay and Jeff walked though. One of the policemen stepped behind the pair as they were led outside, to the police car.  
  
"Can we take my car?" Jay asked but the policeman half shook his head.  
  
"You can, but Mr Hardy can't."  
  
"Meet you there." Jeff stated and Jay nodded. He helped Jeff into the car and then headed to his own. Getting in he started the engine and pulled out behind the police car. 


	2. Chapter two The Interview

CHAPTER TWO - THE INTERVIEW  
  
Jeff was sat in a chair in what seemed to be an almost empty room. He knew there was his chair, a table and at least one other chair, but the room was small and he had encountered no other furniture.  
  
"We have to confirm some details, first, for the official taped record of this interview.  
  
"Will you confirm that you are Jeffrey Nero Hardy?"  
  
Jeff nodded. "Yes."  
  
"Will you please state your date of birth?" Jeff did as he was asked.  
  
"We wish to talk to you about a series of events which occurred during a six month period between the 9th of October 1991 and the 26th of April 1992. Do you agree that you have come here of your own free will?"  
  
"I hasn't exactly made my day but I wasn't kicking and screaming about it."  
  
There was silence. "Yes." Jeff stated.  
  
"You have the right to refuse to answer any questions, but I would like to remind you that withholding information from the police is a criminal offence." Jeff nodded to show that he understood.  
  
"You were let me see, about 15 during that period?" The officer half questioned, half stated.  
  
"That would be about right."  
  
"And what was your address for that period?" Jeff complied. "That would mean you were living with your father and your brother?"  
  
"Yes." Jeff spoke through clenched teeth knowing what they were trying to implicate.  
  
"That would be Matthew Moore Hardy."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"...and are you aware of the allegations that have been brought against your brother in connection to the events during that six month period?"  
  
"I am aware."  
  
"And you realise that you are a potential suspect as an accomplice?"  
  
"Are you gonna keep asking me these stupid questions?" There was once again silence. "Well...gee...I dunno I thought you brought me here for tea and cakes. Yes I know I'm a suspect. Damn."  
  
"Can you tell me where you were on the following dates?" The policeman reeled off a list of dates.  
  
"It was 11 years ago...ok any Tuesdays I was probably at football practise until 5. Matt would pick me up and I would probably be at home for the rest of the night, but otherwise I have no idea."  
  
"Would your brother, Matthew Moore Hardy, have been at home with you these nights?"  
  
"Sometimes, sometimes my brother, Matthew Moore Hardy, would have gone out, sometime I went out." Jeff spoke with mock shock in his voice.  
  
"What about the night of the 26th of April?"  
  
"I don't know." Jeff was exasperated.  
  
"You don't recollect anything unusual on that date."  
  
"NO!"  
  
"Mr Hardy, I have here a copy of medical records. It states, as your friend will be able to assure you, that you were admitted to hospital with a puncture wound to your abdomen on that date. Admitted to hospital by your brother Matthew Moore Hardy." Jeff looked to Jay.  
  
"It says it."  
  
"I remember that, I just didn't remember the date."  
  
"Can you tell me how that happened? The accident I mean."  
  
"I was practising a wrestling move in the backyard."  
  
"By yourself?"  
  
"Yes...I was on the trampoline. I jumped off something, a ladder probably, but I miss judged it and fell from the trampoline landing on a fence, which stabbed into me."  
  
"Your medical record states that glass was found in the wound."  
  
"...I pulled myself off and made it into the house, where I slipped and fell, I grabbed out on the way but only knocked a bottle, a glass bottle onto the floor. It probably broke."  
  
"What happened next?" the policeman's voice had the air of an adult listening to the blatant lie of a child.  
  
"Well I guess the noise got Matt's attention. All I know is he appeared by my side and took me from the hospital."  
  
"Was he already in the house or did he just arrive?"  
  
"I don't know, I'd just impaled myself on a fence, I wasn't exactly lucid."  
  
"What time was this?"  
  
"I'm not sure, about 8.30 9 o clock ish. I don't really know."  
  
"And could Matt have arrived home just in time to find you on the floor?"  
  
"I don't know I was in pain and bleeding."  
  
"Is it possible that Matt had just arrived home?"  
  
"I told you I don't know; it could have been an alien in Matt's shape for all I remember."  
  
"So it may not have been Matt?"  
  
"It WAS Matt but I do NOT know where he was before that time."  
  
"How long do you think it took from the time you fell from the trampoline until your brother got you to the hospital? Approximately."  
  
"Approximately 30 minutes."  
  
"Could you be more specific? How long from when you fell until when you made in inside? How long in the car until you arrived at the hospital? How long until you were seen by a doctor?"  
  
"10 minutes to get inside, 15 to get to the hospital and 5 until the doctor." Jeff spoke wearily.  
  
"It says here that you had immediate attention from a doctor."  
  
"Well maybe time seems low when your on your way to bleeding to death."  
  
"You said 15 minutes to get to the hospital."  
  
"That's what it felt like."  
  
"Do you drive often to the hospital from your residence of the time?" "It was the only time I went."  
  
"Well I drove it yesterday. Do you want to know how long it took me?"  
  
"Oh goodie. Please enthral me."  
  
"27 minutes"  
  
"Well you're a policeman, do something. The traffic is horrendous these days."  
  
"I drove it at 12.30pm when there was almost no traffic on the road."  
  
"Did you have someone bleeding in the back of your car? I can imagine that that would tend to decrease the time it took to arrive."  
  
"So let's add up these new timings, zero minutes until a doctor, 7 minutes in the car and 5 minutes to get inside; that would make 32 minutes."  
  
"That's not far off what I said. Is this leading somewhere? I'm bored."  
  
"I refer once again to your medical report Mr Hardy. Do you remember any consequences of that day?"  
  
"I've got a scar I can show you."  
  
"How about the investigation into whether you were sufficiently safe and cared for by your father?"  
  
"He's a great father. They found nothing." Jeff burst to his father's defence.  
  
"The results of the investigation are irrelevant to me. What is relevant is the cause. According to the opinions of 2 separate medical professionals it would have taken a minimum of 2 hours to lose the amount of blood you did from the wound you received. That would leave the accident happening between 6.30 and 7pm. During which time, a young offender was seen by a witness being stabbed in the abdomen." 


	3. Chapter three House Insurance Pt 1

CHAPTER THREE - HOUSE INSURANCE PT 1.  
  
After another five minutes of the interview Jeff had had enough. It was going round in circles filled with hidden accusations that were never directly said. Finally Jeff gave up.  
  
"Look, I've had enough, and the way that I understand it is that you have to either charge me with something or I'm free to leave. Are you going to charge me?"  
  
"At this time we have insufficient evidence."  
  
"Well in that case I'm going. Thank you for wasting my afternoon." Jeff got to his feet.  
  
"Thank you for your help. We'll be in touch." The officer held out his hand to shake but Jeff used his blindness to ignore it.  
  
"Hey bro, where are you?" Matt addressed his brother when he picked up his cell phone.  
  
"Hey." Matt heard his brother talking in the background. "We're about 3 minutes from the arena."  
  
"I'll see you in a few minutes then." Matt hung up and flopped back into his chair. The moment his past had come crawling out of the woodwork, he had felt that familiar feeling grow inside his stomach. It was the feeling that told him that he had to protect his family no matter what. He thought of Mollie, the daughter that Jeff had given him. All his love for her flowed through his veins; giving him the determination to go on and cope with this. He knew what he had to do. He had to get Jeff out of it. He'd made the mistake once of bringing him into it and was never going to repeat it. There were so many complications and only one way out that he could think of, but that involved his father. He wanted to keep Gil Hardy out of it, but it was his only choice. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialled his father.  
  
"Dad."  
  
"Matt."  
  
"Will you do something for me? Something important."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Will you have Mollie and Chloe at your house for a bit? A few days? A week?"  
  
"I'll be glad to have them for as long as you want, but what is this about? Is this to do with the newspaper story?"  
  
Matt paused before he spoke. He knew he couldn't lie to his dad but he also knew that he had let him down the first time and he didn't want to repeat the past. "Yes."  
  
"You know how I feel about that Matt, but I will support you in whatever you need to do. I know you've changed; you've grown up, but promise me that you will only do what's needed to get out of the mess. Nothing more, nothing that could cause more problems in the future."  
  
"I'm going down after this, Dad, I know I am. I just hope I have enough time."  
  
"Good luck son." Matt listened to the silence for a minute, before dialling Chloe.  
  
"Chloe."  
  
"Matt."  
  
"I need you to do something."  
  
"uh huh"  
  
"I want you to go to my dad's and stay there until I tell you that you can come home."  
  
"You're scaring me Matt."  
  
"I'm sorry but this is important. Everything's messed up and this is the only way I know to keep you out of it. Please just don't ask any questions. You've gotta trust me. Take Mollie and stay there."  
  
There was a pause in the conversation.  
  
"Ok I'll do it."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Matt?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Be Careful."  
  
"Shit, shit, shit, shit." Matt waited quietly for Jeff to stop swearing. It was a habit he seemed to have continued from his angry days after the accident. "Shit, shit, shit, shit."  
  
Matt got fed up with waiting. "Stop swearing, Jeff, and tell me what happened."  
  
"They know. they know it was me as well."  
  
"But they can't prove it."  
  
"Shit man, they can't prove it but they're about to use anything to try. They brought up that time I fell on the fence. They seem to think I wasn't an accident. Christ! They think you let me bleed for 2 hours before you took me to a hospital. They think I was with you. They kept trying to trick me into saying stuff."  
  
"They have no proof."  
  
"They kept asking me questions about it. I tried to tell them I didn't remember much but they kept asking me, so I told them what I could and every time I misjudged something or remembered it wrong they made me feel like I'd given them a real gem. Like I'd revealed something I didn't want to. Given them evidence against me."  
  
"They didn't charge you?"  
  
"No. Said they didn't have sufficient evidence and they would be in touch."  
  
The brothers sat in silence for a minute. Jeff's face was a picture of concentration as he followed a train of thought in his head. Something was niggling at him. He knew there was something important he knew. Something he'd heard. Today. At the police station. As he was leaving.  
  
"Matt, is there anything at my house? Anything dodgy?"  
  
"Probably, you still got that porn?"  
  
"This is serious Matt. I heard them. They're after a warrant to search my house."  
  
It was Matt's turn to swear.  
  
"Christ Matt! You kept that stuff at my house. Jeez how long has it been there?"  
  
"Since you moved in!" Matt tried to laugh but his heart wasn't in. Things were going to get much worse and Jeff was becoming too deeply involved. He pulled out his cell phone and then thought better of it. He left his dressing room; he turned back to Jeff at the door.  
  
"You've got house insurance right?"  
  
"Yes. Why Matt? What are you gonna do?" Matt left without responding. "Matt? My House!" 


	4. Chapter four House Insurance Pt 2

CHAPTER FOUR - HOUSE INSURANCE PT 2.  
  
Three quarters of an hour later Jeff was called to Vince McMahon's, his boss's, office. He knocked and entered. "Ah Jeff. These two gentlemen are police officers. They would like to talk to you."  
  
"Jeez, not again, I told you this morning, charge me or leave it."  
  
"This is unconnected at the minute." Jeff's heart sank as the policeman spoke. He'd just put his foot in it in front of is boss. He was going to have to think of a cover story quick. "I'm afraid to tell you that a neighbour was forced to call the police this evening as your house was subject of a burglary and arson."  
  
"Arson?"  
  
"The fire-fighters have the blaze under control but it seems to have gutted several rooms."  
  
"Shit? What about the burglary? What's missing?"  
  
"We'll need your help in identifying everything but the major things seem to have gone. TV, Video, DVD, Stereo, CD collection most electrical equipment."  
  
"It would be useful if you could report to the police station tomorrow so we could take you to the house and assess the damage. If someone who knew the house well could aid you." The other policeman spoke. "You will be unable to return to your house tonight I'm afraid. As soon as the fire is out our investigators will be going in." Jeff nodded dumbly. The officers left the room.  
  
"This morning Jeff. Was that about Matt's troubles?" Vince McMahon was a sharp man; you couldn't get much past him. Jeff nodded.  
  
"I hope you're not mixed up in this Jeff. I can't have that kind of thing in the business. It's not a good example for all the young fans. So let me give you a tip. If you're not involved then leave it and let Matt deal with his own business. If you are involved then let Matt take the fall for you. He'd be willing and there's no use both of you going down."  
  
Jeff left the office without speaking to Mr McMahon. He couldn't believe the guy would suggest he let Matt take he blame for his actions. This was serious, they weren't kids any more. Matt wasn't going to get grounded; he was going to rot in prison, for years so numerous that Jeff didn't want to consider it. He knew Matt would do it for him, but he also knew he couldn't let Matt do it for him. He would fight his brother to the last to stop him taking both the falls.  
  
Vince McMahon's comments had momentarily subdued Jeff's anger towards his brother, but as soon as he heard Matt's voice the anger rose again.  
  
"You bastard." Jeff hissed as soon as he was close enough for only Matt to hear.  
  
"Leave it Jeff." Matt whispered back. He turned away from Jeff, but Jeff caught his arm.  
  
"My CD's too, what was wrong with my CD's or are you worried that they'll find a birthday present bought with dirty money?"  
  
"There was nothing wrong with the CD's but the videos had to be taken and taking one but not the other would have looked bad."  
  
"What was there Matt? What did you video? God, you're dense."  
  
"I'm sorry Jeffro, but it had to be done." Jeff walked away from his brother. Matt let him go. He knew that no matter how hurt or betrayed Jeff felt right now. He would never seek revenge. That was one of the ways the two brothers differed. Jeff was more emotional; he told people and expressed how he felt. Matt never expressed emotion yet he felt it strongly inside. It built up and had been known to burst out in fits of rage. But Matt still let the rage grow and still bottled things up. He did so now, taking deep breaths he pushed his feelings down to the pit of his stomach and prepared for his match.  
  
Jeff lay back on the bed in the spare room of Matt's house. The house felt strange. It was normally so full of life, but with Chloe and Mollie gone there was silence. Eventually the silence was broken by footsteps on the stairs. Jeff knew it was Matt. Matt paused at the top of the stairs before heading to the spare room and knocking on the door. Jeff called that he could come in. He did so and sat on the corner of the bed.  
  
"I'm sorry about your house Jeff. I was stupid to leave anything there."  
  
"It had to be done I suppose."  
  
"I'll help you replace everything."  
  
"How bad is it going to be tomorrow?"  
  
"I don't know if I should tell you. You're gonna have to be shocked for the police."  
  
"I'm blind Mattie. I live in a world of blissful ignorance." Jeff laughed.  
  
"It's bad Jeffro. You know all the big stuff but all the photos are burnt."  
  
"They aren't much use to me now."  
  
"I don't know what else. It wasn't actually me that did it."  
  
"I know it wasn't you." Jeff let the silence linger for a bit. "Which rooms?"  
  
"One on each floor. The den, your bedroom and the loft." 


	5. Chapter five Accusations

CHAPTER FIVE - Accusations.  
  
"Matthew Moore Hardy?" Matt turned as someone entered the back yard of his house.  
  
"How can I help you officer?"  
  
"I've been sent to ask you to accompany me to the station. Some new issues have been raised since we last spoke to you."  
  
"Can I just get the jacket and tell my brother where I'm going?" The policeman nodded and Matt did as he had asked before following the officer and climbing into the back of the police car.  
  
"We've asked you to come in because we are now ready to charge you."  
  
"I'd thought you'd already done that." Matt was confused.  
  
"We have already charged you but some new information has come to light and we now have sufficient evidence to bring more charges against you." Matt leant back in his chair and shut his eyes. He tried to feel frustration and resentment but all he felt was a profound sense of the inevitable. "Matthew Moore Hardy. You have already been charged with being a member of an illegal and anti social gang and anti social behaviour. We now wish to add dangerous driving, driving an illegal vehicle, street racing, illegal betting, rioting, possession of an illegal firearm, assault and GBH. Do you understand these allegations?"  
  
"Yes." Matt spoke quietly. He wasn't sure how to react to the charges. It was enough to put him away from a long time but it could have been worse.  
  
"We now wish to ask you some questions. Are you willing to answer them?"  
  
"I'll try."  
  
"Who else was in the gang?"  
  
"I can't answer that."  
  
"Who else was involved in the incident on the 26th of April 1992?"  
  
"I can't answer that."  
  
"Where did you get the address?"  
  
"It was hidden in the small adverts page of the local paper. They all were."  
  
"Who put it in there?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"How did you know to look there?"  
  
"We all started getting letters in the mail. Obscure stuff, photos of us out, there was even a video. I got sent photos of my family as well. They told us where to look. Told us they were powerful enough to wreck our lives kill us. They said that we were privileged enough to be chosen. If we completed our tasks then we would be financially compensated, if we failed we would be taken out of he game. If we refused they would send copies of the photos and videos to the police."  
  
"So you agreed to do it?"  
  
"It was small stuff to start off with. A race we were asked to win, against people we didn't know."  
  
"What else were you asked to do?"  
  
"It was all rain to start off with, we were asked to win races or lose races. If we won, we took our winnings and were paid. If we lost as asked we were paid. We thought it was just someone wanting to do well on the bets. It wasn't our local races so we weren't too worried. We didn't know anyone there."  
  
"What came after the races?"  
  
"We were still throwing races when the photos and videos started arriving again. We got worried then, wondering what was to come next. We were told to find this guy. Johnny Matthius. We knew him a little. He used to be around our scene, but got turned on. Raped someone's sister. We weren't too fussed about him, so we went after him. He put up a bit of a fight, but had no chance. We were told to tie him up and leave him in a barn somewhere in the middle of nowhere. We went back the next day but he was gone."  
  
"What else were you asked to do?"  
  
"It was mostly stuff like that, finding people, cars, picking up stuff."  
  
"Do you know who it was that was paying you do to this stuff?"  
  
"No." "I'm not asking for a name I just want to know if you know."  
  
"I don't know. Never met them, received stuff in the mail, but it was always sent from different places within the state. Never spoke with them. Couldn't even say male or female."  
  
"We know there was more." Matt sat silently. He was willing to help them with the things they already knew but he wasn't going to give them more ammunition. "What do you know about the fire?"  
  
"That was covered at the time."  
  
"I know and I'm sorry to bring such painful memories up again, but I have to ask you. Did you lie at the time? Is there a link between the fire and this anonymous boss?"  
  
"I don't know. I honestly don't know. I thought for days about what I could have done to offend the boss, but there was nothing. I'd done what was asked of me with minimum fuss. I'd kept it quiet. The only link I could think of was maybe someone knew what I was doing; maybe whoever I was working against did it." Matt let his head sink onto his chest.  
  
"One more question and I suggest you think carefully before you answer this as we have evidence to back up the accusation. Was your brother Jeffrey Nero Hardy, involved in the activities?"  
  
"Not to my knowledge, he may have known about it, I was never too sure whether I managed to hide it from him."  
  
"Mr Hardy, do you recognise the young man driving this car?" 


	6. Chapter six The Confession

CHAPTER SIX - THE CONFESSION.  
  
"When was that taken?" Matt tried to prevent the worry from entering his voice.  
  
"The date is printed on it. It was just over a week ago. Do you know who it is?" Matt was silent. "We've let you get away with not telling us certain things, but we're not willing to accept anything other than an honest answer on this." Matt still didn't respond. "We are willing to cut a deal on this. We'll drop two of the lesser charges for the name." Matt looked up his eyes defiant, his mouth sealed. "We'll contest the bail, if we don't get a name." Matt hid the concern and stayed defiantly staring. "Ok if you're not going to tell us, we'll find someone who will."  
  
The officer picked up a phone and spoke to the person on the other end. "Fetch the brother in. We need a chat." Matt started laughing at this. The policeman punched the desk inches away from Matt's hand. "What's funny?"  
  
"You're bringing Jeff in." Matt managed between bursts of laughter.  
  
"I'd have thought that you'd have some concern for him."  
  
"You want him to ID the person in the photo?" Matt was still laughing.  
  
"That's the plan. We'll offer him a deal and see if he's more willing than you." The officer's voice was gruff, obviously riled by Matt's laughter.  
  
"You're gonna ask a blind man to ID someone in a photo." Matt laughed out. The policeman punched the table, aiming for Matt's hand this time, but Matt, even through hysterical laughter, was faster than him.  
  
"Well in light of this information, I suggest we try a new plan. How about you spend the night in a cell and we can bring your brother in and charge him?"  
  
"Why? What can you charge him with? Being related to a suspected criminal?"  
  
The policeman lowered his face so that he was almost nose to nose with Matt and then spat out a sentence. "We can get him for the one charge we're really looking forward to getting you on too. Murder."  
  
"Don't make me laugh again! If you can't get me for it, why do you think you can get him?"  
  
"There's this new thing called DNA. And a fun new law that has allowed us to get the DNA of all school children in on the state, on record. Including your little girl. And guess what, it came up as a match; she has DNA similar to that of a wanted felon. Close enough to be related, but not the daughter. And guess what! In your family, that leaves us with niece. I.e. Jeffrey Nero Hardy is the wanted felon." The officer laughed and walked out of the room telling someone to take Matt down and lock him in a cell.  
  
"Jeffrey Nero Hardy. You are being charged with murder."  
  
Matt banged on the cell door and a guard came to open the viewing slot. "Yes."  
  
"You have the right to remain silent, but anything you do say will be recorded and may be used as evidence against you."  
  
"I want to make a confession."  
  
"Take a seat Jeff; someone will be in to interview in a minute."  
  
"You wish to make a recorded confession?"  
  
"Do you wish to make a confession towards this charge?"  
  
"Yes. I killed Marco Ambrovich." 


	7. Chapter seven Confessions

CHAPTER SEVEN. - Confessions  
  
Matt sat back in his cell as he heard someone being thrown into the cell next to him. "Hey." The voice called out to a guard indignantly.  
  
"Jeffro?"  
  
"Matt?"  
  
"Damn."  
  
"Nice to hear you too!" Jeff laughed relieved to hear a familiar voice. "Any idea what I'm about to walk into?"  
  
"If it's the same as mine, there's a crib on the opposite wall to the door and that's it." Matt heard his brother's footsteps and then a creak as he flopped onto the bed.  
  
"I." Both brothers spoke at the same time.  
  
"You first."  
  
"I confessed."  
  
"What?"  
  
"That I killed Marco."  
  
"Shit. You idiot."  
  
"Hey I was trying to save your ass."  
  
"So was I?"  
  
"How do you mean?"  
  
"I confessed too."  
  
"You what?" Jeff had laughter in his voice at the absurdity of what he expected his brother to say.  
  
"I said I confessed too. I said that I did it."  
  
"They're going to find out. They can do DNA. Then they'll find out." There was silence as Jeff's comment sunk in.  
  
"They told me, that they did DNA test on all school kids and Mollie matched as the niece of the murderer, so they think that it's you." Matt spoke.  
  
"So the haven't figured that I'm her Dad then?"  
  
"No but that'll come out if they test you to make sure."  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"Then they'll find that you're her father so it can't be you. They'll know I'm not really her Dad so they'll test me." Matt thought for a second. "You have to withdraw your confession. Tell them that you were covering for me. Do the DNA and prove it wasn't you."  
  
"Then they'll think it was you."  
  
"You've got to let me do this. Do the DNA so they know it wasn't you. If they know its not you they'll think it was me. They won't need my DNA then. They'll know."  
  
"This isn't the time to be a hero Matt. You'll lose everything you've ever had and no one will thank you for it."  
  
"There's someone out there who will thank me."  
  
"Not me!"  
  
"No not you." Matt's voice was soft and distracted.  
  
"I won't do it Matt. I won't let you take the blame."  
  
"Jeff. Do as I fucking say. Tell them the truth. Tell then it wasn't you. Then get the hell outta here." Matt exploded towards his brother. His voice was filled with such ferocity that Jeff sat up scared despite the wall between them. He knew his brother had once been feared by many people within and outside of the state and suddenly he understood why. "Do it" Matt's voice was quieter now, breathless from the shouting.  
  
"I'll do it, but then what."  
  
"Find her. Find them both." 


	8. Chapter eight Once Was Enough

CHAPTER EIGHT - ONCE WAS ENOUGH  
  
Jeff walked quietly through the door and into the house. He paused to listen but heard just silence. With one hand reaching to touch the wall, as a guide, he continued stealthily through the house. As he entered what he knew was the kitchen he heard a noise. He listened. It was coming from the yard.  
  
The girl was suddenly aware of the back door opening. Slowly she turned and came face to face with him. She screamed.  
  
"Uncle Jeffy" Jeff smiled at the little girl's scream of delight.  
  
"Hey Mollie, is your Mom around?"  
  
"Sure,"  
  
Jeff eventually found Chloe upstairs, painting. "I heard they arrested you too." Chloe spoke quietly; her world was falling apart and she knew it.  
  
"They had nothing on me. They had to let me go." Jeff replied in a matching solemn voice.  
  
"But Matt's still there?" Jeff just nodded in response; there were no words that could comfort either of them. "Is it all happening again?"  
  
"I hope not. Once was enough for any lifetime"  
  
"It's why you're here though isn't it. You want to know if I know where she is." Once again Jeff nodded unable to say anything to reassure her and abate her fears.  
  
"I need to find her, we need to find her. She's the only one who can end this."  
  
"Because she was the one who started it," Chloe shouted her feelings raging inside. "She should never have got involved, she shouldn't have dragged Matt into it and she should have finished it when she could."  
  
Jeff spoke in a whisper, "If she hadn't started this and dragged us into it, then things would have been different and I might never have had you or Mollie."  
  
"Maybe that would have been better for all of us." Chloe spoke bitterly, shocking Jeff and bringing to the surface unwanted memories. His instincts turned him away from her; he felt he could no bear to look at her and despite his blindness his body reacted accordingly as the pain burnt from deep within. Chloe watched as she was rejected once again by the man she loved. Tears began to fill her eyes and she reached for him, filled with regret. As she touched Jeff, his body was overwhelmed with an instinctive shudder causing the tears to spill down her cheeks as despair filled her heart. "I'm sorry Jeff. I didn't mean it." She whispered croakily as the tears continued their journey down her face.  
  
There was silence for a second as Chloe waited for Jeff's response. "You said it though, why did you say it if you didn't mean it?" He spoke so quietly that Chloe wondered if she had really heard him. She reached for him again, this time he gave no reaction. "I always said that I never wanted to see her again. I'm not sure this was what I meant." Jeff bean to both laugh and cry at the same time as he turned and collapsed into Chloe's welcoming hug.  
  
"You still love her." Chloe spoke bluntly but not without kindness.  
  
"Yet I still hate her too. I once loved her like I now love you, and I still love her a little, yet I hate her with al my soul. She poisons everything she touches, nothing means anything to her. She just destroys."  
  
"She loved you, little one. She loved Matt like a brother."  
  
"But she destroyed Matt. She loved him and killed his world."  
  
"It wasn't intentional, but it was necessary. Matt knew it deep down; we all knew she had to die."  
  
"And Ava? Did she have to die?" 


	9. Chapter nine Painful Memories

CHAPTER NINE - Painful Memories  
  
An hour later and a much calmer Jeff and Chloe were sat on the sofa, talking continuously but consciously skirting around the edges of current and past events. Eventually all other topics were drained and they knew what was coming next. They were silent.  
  
"I have to ask." Jeff's voice was soft.  
  
"I know."  
  
"Do you know?"  
  
"She wouldn't tell me. I begged but she wouldn't tell me where she was going."  
  
"What did she tell you?"  
  
"That you would know. You wouldn't know you knew, but you'd know."  
  
Jeff let his head fall back onto the top of the sofa, his eyes shut. "I don't know."  
  
"You must know, somewhere inside, somewhere in the part of you that still lives in the past, you know.  
  
That night Jeff sat in the dark on his own, next to him was a bottle of Jack Daniels. It was half empty already; a vain attempt to block out the pain. He lifted his hand to his face, wiping the tears away. In his mind he tried to continue delving into his thoughts. Thoughts he had learnt to block from his everyday. Thoughts of past pains and lost lives. He took a deep breath and directed his mind to that fateful day.  
  
Jeff awoke on the beach. It wasn't the first time he had done so recently. Rolling slightly he turned to look at the girl lying next to him. She looked so calm and innocent as she slept, but Jeff knew she was anything but. He thought back to the night, he love they had shared together, how romantic had been, expressing their forbidden love on a beach as the sun had set. It was like Romeo and Juliet, except he wasn't forbidden to her as she was to him. Neither of them had a big family. He had just his father and brother, she, just two sisters; neither of whom had enough control or power over her to forbid her affections for Jeff. He wondered if she found it as romantic as he did. As he though of his family, especially his brother he worried a little. He wondered how his brother's night had been. He had enough sense of what Matt was doing to know that it wouldn't have been pleasant like his own.  
  
The girl lying next to Jeff stirred a little as Jeff rolled onto his back, looking up to the sky. The girl awoke fully and looked at Jeff. He loved to look at her as she woke up. She looked open and serene before her defences went up. He remain looking at her, relishing in the moment, wanting desperately for her to talk, but knowing that if he started the conversation then it would be lost. He tried to remain patient, hoping that she would open up to him, for a little while, as she had done before.  
  
"There's an island out there." She said gazing into the sea. "Its there at exactly the distance that you can't see yet. But all you have to do I wander into the sea and you can begin to see it."  
  
"You wanna go there?" Jeff asked gently.  
  
"One day. One day my baby I'll take you there." Jeff tried not to scowl as she called him her baby. He hated that she referred to him as her baby. He knew that at fifteen he was two years her junior, sometimes it felt like more. When she was in her hard business mood it felt like more, but at times like this, when they were alone together it felt insignificant. Jeff felt strong; he felt he could look after her.  
  
Jeff grabbed the bottle next to him and drank deeply. The liquid burned his throat a little, but didn't dull his senses as he wanted. He wanted his brain to turn off. He wanted to stop it following the train of thought that would lead him on from that morning. He didn't want to think of that afternoon. The pain it caused him then. The pain it caused him now. The pain it had caused him at all points in his life since then. The injuries he had suffered when he went that bit too far, too extreme in an effort to punish himself. Matt always said that the injuries were self inflicted, but Jeff knew it wasn't himself that was to blame. It was her. She had hurt him, then, she had used him, abused him, and taught him self-hatred. He had told his fans that their bodies were the one thing they could control; they were to be used while they could be. It was what he wanted to believe his body could have been. But is body wasn't like that anymore, it was no longer his tool. It had been used by someone else and was dirty; it had sinned and couldn't be clean. He marked it because he could, tried to make it his own, but nothing worked. He had outgrown the need to abuse his body, and the loss of his sight had helped him. In never seeing his body again he felt no regret nor pain. He drank again, the doorbell rang, but he didn't move. Someone knocked yet still he sat drinking. The handle turned and he lowered the bottle, empty.  
  
"Oh Jeff, you should've phoned. You should've answered your calls." Chloe walked over and held Jeff as he cried. "Oh baby, what were you thinking?"  
  
"That day, the worst day of my life" Jeff slurred a little. Chloe remained silent knowing that he needed to talk about it. To say it out loud. "I loved her so much, she turned me into a murderer and I loved her." Chloe rocked Jeff.  
  
"You have to forgive yourself."  
  
"I killed them. I killed them." Jeff shouted at first but quickly died down to a whisper.  
  
"She had to die. She was going to turn you all in."  
  
"How can you say that? She was your sister."  
  
"She was a heartless bitch."  
  
"It was for her daughter. She was going to do it for her daughter."  
  
"What? Send her boyfriend to prison; make her daughter the daughter of a convict?"  
  
"Well what did we do? We killed them both. I killed them both."  
  
"You didn't know Ava was there. She wasn't supposed to be there."  
  
"I didn't check. I just burnt it down. I killed my niece, I wrecked my brother's life and I still don't even dare tell him it was me."  
  
"He knows and he forgives you." They jumped as the speaker entered the room. 


	10. Chapter ten Revelations

CHAPTER TEN - Revelations.  
  
The sun rose, spilling light into Jeff's bedroom, waking him up as the light made patterns and shapes on the insides of his eyelids. He groaned slightly as his hangover kicked in. Being blind had its advantages, Jeff thought as he sat up, knowing that if it wasn't for his lack of sight the room would be spinning. He pushed the button on his clock.  
  
"The time is seven forty two." The electronic voice informed him.  
  
He showered and dressed quickly before grabbing an old hoe box from his room and starting on the walk to his father's house.  
  
Even in his drunken state of the night before Jeff had realised how he was going to find her. He knew he just had o find the right person to ask, and then his father had walked in surprising them, but bringing with him the answer to the question that had been bothering Jeff.  
  
He knocked on the door of his father's house and it was Gil who opened it for him. "I need a favour." Jeff asked kindly.  
  
"Okay but can you give me a minute I need to finish getting Mollie dressed." Gil went upstairs and Jeff headed into the kitchen, taking a seat at the big family table. After about 10 minutes he heard footsteps coming downstairs and into the kitchen.  
  
"I need you to look through these bank statements and see if it says where I'm paying the child maintenance to." Jeff blurted it out quickly before Gil could delay him again and he would lose confidence.  
  
"Child maintenance?" The voice was shocked, but that wasn't what disturbed Jeff. The voice was female. It was Chloe. "But I thought, I didn't think," She tried to form the right sentence. "The kid is yours?"  
  
"I thought you two had already figured out whose Mollie is." Gil laughed, but stopped suddenly as he saw the serious looks on their faces. "Ah, so this would be about the other kid?" He half question half stated.  
  
"It's yours?" Chloe's voice was filled with Venom. She stepped up towards Jeff and caught him with a stinging slap across the cheek. He flinched as it caught him, but made no other movements. She lifted her arm to hit him again but Gil caught her.  
  
"He doesn't know for sure that it's his."  
  
"You don't even know? Who else's could it be?"  
  
"No one else's its mine." Jeff shouted.  
  
"It might be Matt's." Gil spoke calmly in contrast to Jeff.  
  
"You were both sleeping with her. Jesus Jeff you were sleeping with her? You were only 15!"  
  
"You said it yourself yesterday. I loved her." Jeff's voice was filled with spite and self pity.  
  
"So what you've been giving her money all these years? Giving money for the child of Satan which could be spent on our child?"  
  
"He's not the child of Satan!"  
  
"He? So it has a sex now does it? What about a name? Did you give it one of those too?"  
  
"Max." Chloe threw a glass at Jeff as he spoke. It missed smashing against the wall behind him.  
  
"How can you not know whose it is? Haven't you seen it?" Chloe's voice had dropped a few octaves to it's normal level as she took deep breaths to calm herself.  
  
"I've seen it."  
  
"Then who does it look like? What colour hair? What colour eyes?"  
  
"Black hair." Chloe's eyes lit up at a likeness to Matt. "Green eyes." Chloe's eyes dulled down again. She felt guilty for hoping the child was Matt's but she really didn't want it to be Jeff's. The thought of their being another child out there belonging to him was more than she could bare. Another child with his blood running through his veins, was unfair, Mollie was that child. There shouldn't be another. Chloe knew her thoughts were stupid and irrational but she couldn't help them. "It is mine Chloe, I'm sure of it."  
  
"And Matt? Is he sure it's his? Is he giving her money too?"  
  
"He's sure it's mine too." Jeff's voice was quiet with an eerie amount of control and calmness in his voice.  
  
"Another kid you brought into this world and abandoned?" Chloe almost screamed the insult at Jeff, throwing another glass at him. This time it caught the top of his head, but Chloe didn't seem to care. She stormed out of the room and out of the house. After less than a minute they heard a car start up and screech off down the road. 


	11. Chapter eleven Siblings

CHAPTER ELEVEN - Siblings  
  
"I know where she is." Jeff looked up from his thoughts as his father spoke to him.  
  
"Where who is?"  
  
"Where she is, where they are."  
  
"But how."  
  
"Which ever of you two is the Dad that still makes me the Grandpa. I didn't want to lose another Grandkid. I wanted to keep in touch and she was more than happy to oblige. She's not as bad as you all seem to think."  
  
"You've seen her, you've seen the kid?" Jeff was shocked he couldn't believe that his father had stayed in touch with someone who had treated them all so badly.  
  
"Once a fortnight for a long time now." Gilbert Hardy sighed as he spoke. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had betrayed his sons.  
  
"Where?"  
  
"In the city. I'll take you now if you want." Silently the pair left. Nothing was spoken until Gil pulled up outside a house in the suburbs.  
  
"We're here." Jeff didn't react to his father's words. He didn't dare. He stayed perfectly still facing forward. "Jeff." Gil spoke softly to his son and Jeff turned to face him. "She's not how you remember, she's changed." Jeff nodded and opened his car door. He stepped outside and walked round the car to his father. Together they walked up to the door and knocked.  
  
Jeff heard the door open. "Hello" The voice of a young boy spoke.  
  
"Hello Max, is your Mum in?" Gil asked.  
  
"Sure." Came the reply. Jeff guessed that the boy moved to let them in, as Gil gently tugged his arm and led him forward. Jeff was suddenly nervous, wondering what she would think of him now. What he would think of her.  
  
Gil led Jeff to a chair and sat him down. Jeff sat leant forward with his elbows resting on his thighs and his hands clasped together tightly. Every muscle in his body was tense and he looked ready to spring forward at a seconds notice. He took a deep breath, willing his body to relax and gain composure. It worked a little but then he picked up on footsteps about to enter the room and everything tensed again.  
  
The footsteps were, light, definitely female. They approached the door, it creaked lightly as it opened the female stepped through and the door creaked shut.  
  
In his mind Jeff could see her standing there. Her jet black hair tumbling down her back, brushed slightly away from her face revealing her honey coloured skin and almond shaped eyes. Jeff wondered if her eyes glowed like they used to, lit by a fire burning within. Jeff had never known a blue with such red in it. Her eyes were almost lilac.  
  
He heard her gasp as she saw him, but he didn't turn to her. He knew he must be a shock for her, turning up out of the blue after 10 years, but he also knew that she must have been partly expecting it. Everyone seemed to know that Matt as in custody.  
  
"Jeff?" She almost whispered the name. Jeff felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach, all the air was sucked out of his body, by the tenderness of her tone.  
  
"I'm back." Jeff spoke quietly too, too quietly. "I'm back" He spoke again to be heard.  
  
"Look at me." He turned his head towards the sound of her voice. "Something's different about you. What is it?"  
  
Jeff lowered his head to face the floor. He didn't know how to tell her. He took a deep breath and let it out again. She knelt in front of him and took his hands. He lifted his head so that his eyes should be looking directly into hers and took another deep breath. "I'm blind." He expected her to say something but she said nothing.  
  
Eventually she spoke. "So you'll never see Max?"  
  
"I got to see Mollie once." Jeff shrugged.  
  
"Who's Mollie?" Jeff took another deep breath as she asked the question.  
  
"My daughter,..by Chloe."  
  
"My sister?" 


	12. Chapter twelve Going ahunting Pt 1

CHAPTER TWELVE. - Going a-hunting Pt 1.  
  
"You'd left, Matt was grieving, I was messed up. She helped straighten me out, and I fell for her. I love her." Jeff spoke softly, wondering why he felt the need to explain his actions to her.  
  
"And me.what about me?"  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"Do you still love me?"  
  
"You wrecked my life; you wrecked the life of those around me, you're doing it again now. I can't love you anymore." Jeff felt her turn away from him at his spiteful words.  
  
"I left you alone, I kept away. I've changed Jeffy, I've done nothing since then."  
  
"I doesn't matter whether you killed 100 or 1 since then, its then that's the problem. It's you that's the problem. You, Sasha are a fuck up, you may have a peachy little life here, with no one suspecting your past, but the rest of us aren't that lucky." Jeff fell silent after his little outburst.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
Jeff took a deep breath before answering. "Matt's been arrested and charged with about 500 things. He's confessed to Marco's murder. Now they're after the rest. They've pretty much got me, they know about Ross. They have a photo so they must know where he is. I've no idea if they know about the any others. They'll be coming for you soon. Then they'll have Chloe, then they'll link in the fire, and then we can have a nice little family reunion in the slam. Boy won't that be fun."  
  
"You idiot." Sasha bust out at Jeff. "The cops are about to take your ass in and you come here. What if they're watching?"  
  
"You know what?" Jeff's voice had deepened, as he growled the words out. Sasha flinched as he spoke so venomously. "I don't care if they get you. In fact that might make things better. I don't like it that my brother is gonna go to hell for you. Hell, I don't like it that he's willing to go for me. I don't like the fact that need you, and I'm sure as hell not gonna like working with you again, but if that's what I have to do then I will. So will you help me?"  
  
"Yes" Sasha whispered almost inaudibly. "What are you gonna do?" She spoke a little louder and with more confidence this time.  
  
"Its payback time. We're gonna find the others, and then extract a little revenge. Then we might just set them up to take the fall for all of us."  
  
"Are you sure about this? Things didn't exactly end well last time we tried to take them on." Jeff didn't need to answer. His posture said it all.  
  
"Ready to go a-hunting?" 


	13. Chapter thirteen Going ahuntung Pt 2

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. - Goin-a-hunting pt2  
  
Jeff was in the kitchen of his father's house, pacing up and down and generally wearing a hole in the tiles. Knowing he was about to walk into the cupboards Jeff turned around and walked back to the other wall. He'd been pacing pretty much continually for half an hour, before he heard a car pull up outside the house. The engine turned off and the door slammed shut. There was a knock at the front door. Jeff picked his large gym bag off the table and carried it to the front door with him.  
  
"You ready to roll?" Sasha asked as he opened the door.  
  
"Hell yeah!" Jeff responded stepping outside and shutting the door behind him. Inside he began to regret not saying goodbye to Chloe, but he knew he shouldn't involve her in this.  
  
Together Sasha and Jeff walked to her car. She put Jeff's bag in the trunk, here I landed with a satisfying clunk, and opened the door for him.  
  
"The seats low." She warned as he eased into the car. Seconds later she sat in her seat and started the engine. A smile spread over Jeff's face as the engine revved and roared into action with a satisfying growl.  
  
"What is it?" He asked.  
  
"Vette." She replied her face matching his. They sped off down the road and out of the town, heading away from civilisation. They didn't speak much on the way; each deep in their own thoughts. Sasha thought about her past and her regrets, and Jeff thought about the future, knowing that their next actions would be one of the defining periods of theirs lives. If things went to plan then life wouldn't change much. If things failed then the life after that couldn't be born to think about. He began to plan the coming days in his head, going over and over until he knew exactly where he had to be and when. He knew who should be there, who shouldn't, how things would pan out if everything went to plan, backup plans in case things deviated.  
  
For two days they drove stopping at friend's houses on the way and gradually gathering a following. With every person they managed to collect Sasha asked Jeff if it was enough, but it never was. Jeff's plans seemed to be getting bigger by the hour until they all began to worry that he was taking them out of their depth. The anger was building in Jeff, a sight they had all seen before, but never to this extent. All the pent up aggression left from no longer being able to wrestle or ride his bikes was beginning to kick in; Jeff was getting scary.  
  
Finally, as they pulled away from a house having gained a twentieth person Jeff turned to Sasha and just said.  
  
"That's enough."  
  
Another two days later and the group of unlikely looking comrades were scattered around the interior of an old barn in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of the room sat a man in his late twenties. He was blindfolded, gagged and tied to the chair. He had been dragged out of his bed and was still dressed for sleep. His body was tense with fear and expectancy as he waited to be spoken to. To find out who his captors were and what they wanted.  
  
There was a flurry of sounds around the room and then a lot of suspects. He guessed that people were being asked to leave and that it was all about to kick off. Footsteps closed in behind him and his head was shoved forward as someone fiddled to untie his gag.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want?" He called out as soon as he was able.  
  
"I'm an old friend, come back for what's mine" Jeff spoke from his standing point directly in front of the man.  
  
"Hardy." The name was spoken with intense distrust. "Thought you were going down."  
  
"Wrong Hardy."  
  
"Ah the little brother."  
  
"Not so little anymore."  
  
"Doesn't matter. You'll follow big brother down anyway."  
  
"Umm. I wanted to talk to you about that. Cos it seems that someone has been talking to the cops. And y'all know how much we dislike the cops." The man didn't respond other than a slight laugh. "Well we were thinking, you know, hey lets go ask Jimmy, cos after all you were our intelligence man." A few snickers came from the walls.  
  
"I was your intelligence man until you kicked me out and shot at me."  
  
"Oh, you're not still bitter are you? After all you did sell out."  
  
The man sat laughing for a minute.  
  
"You find something funny? Well hey, tell all."  
  
"You really are clueless aren't you? You really have no idea who's calling the shots now. How about Sasha? Have you found her yet? Have you quizzed her? Found out who she works for in order to own that lovely corvette."  
  
"Stop passing the buck and give me some answers."  
  
"There's a different person calling the shots since you left it all. Find who it is and you'll find all the answers you need." 


	14. Chapter fourteen Confessional

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - Confessional  
  
"Well now Jimmy. I didn't have you brought here to give me questions, you were brought here to give me answers. So hows about it?"  
  
"You know I can't"  
  
"I know you'll try not to, but as you've probably guessed we're all back. Do you remember what Matt used to do to people who wouldn't give answers?" Jimmy nodded; a very slight movement that spoke of how much he remembered. "Yeah.well they always broke. With enough time, but here's the dilemma Jimmy. I don't have the time, but then I didn't always approve of the old methods. I figured lots of little ways to speed things up." Jeff moved in front of Jimmy and pulled off the blindfold allowing Jimmy to see the glow in his eyes. Jimmy visibly flinched at the memories it dredged up. He remembered seeing the look in Matt's eyes, he remembered what had happened to those people, but the look in Jeff's eyes was different. If anything it was fiercer it seemed to emanate from somewhere much deeper within his body and be filled with much more feeling. Jimmy knew that if he didn't talk soon he wouldn't get out of the building alive. He knew that talking didn't really help his chances, but it was all he could do.  
  
"Ok I'll talk."  
  
"See Jimmy, that was always your problem. You're such a pussy! It was just getting to the fun part." Jeff laughed slightly as the blindfold was reapplied. Jeff leant forward until his lips were almost touching Jimmy's ear. "Start talking."  
  
"Well, you see there's this guy, running everything now."  
  
"Who?" There was silence. Jeff nodded and a cracking sound filled the room as one of Jimmy's fingers snapped. He cried out in pain for a second and then died down to a whimpering. "Who?" Jeff whispered fiercely.  
  
"Ross."  
  
"See that wasn't so bad was it. Keep talking."  
  
"He wants things like they were but him running the show. Money from people as insurance that he won't do them over, drugs running, prostitution, arms. You name it he's gonna be running it."  
  
"When?" Once again there was silence. Another nod, another crack and cry.  
  
"When this is over, when he's wiped out everyone who he thinks is a threat. He thinks he's clearing his record. Setting people up, letting them go down for his crimes."  
  
"He's the one who fixed the DNA. He's the one who gave the police the evidence."  
  
"All his work. I believe he's quite proud of it."  
  
"Who else is working for him?" Jimmy paused slightly and another finger broke.  
  
"Sasha." Another finger went.  
  
"Wrong answer, she's working for me. Who else?"  
  
"The Ambrovich's.You know that fire on your brothers house was real good work Jeff!" Jeff let fly with a kick that caught Jimmy on the side of the head, jerking it to one side and knocking the chair over.  
  
"Shit Jeff, he's out cold." Sasha sounded almost reprimanding.  
  
"Well wake him up then." Sasha did as she was told knowing that after Jimmy named her she was going to have to prove where her allegiance lay. She woke Jimmy up quickly and got the chair upright.  
  
"So where were we?" Jeff spoke in his menacing tone. "Yeah.the name game, starting naming names Jimmy cos we're beginning to run out of fingers."  
  
"That's all I know." Jimmy sounded desperate. Jeff gave him a few seconds to think but when nothing else seemed likely he nodded and the final finger of Jimmy's right hand was snapped. Jimmy cried out, and then settled into deep gulping sobs.  
  
"Well I have to hand it to you Jimmy, you've done a great job, been most informative. Here let me congratulate you." As he spoke Jeff grabbed Jimmy's hand in a fierce grip and shook it. Once again the sobs turned to cries, and then screams but Jeff continued. A bone in Jimmy's hand snapped loudly but Jeff just continued.  
  
"Okaaaaaay." Jimmy screamed at the top of his voice. Jeff let go and Jimmy sat panting for a second before speaking. "You're next. Ross has the proof that you burnt down the house. It's already in the mail!" Jimmy almost managed to laugh before Jeff's boot connected with his face, sending him and the chair flying across the barn and onto the floor. 


	15. Chapter fifteen The bitch is back

CHAPTER FIFTEEN - The bitch is back  
  
"Talk." Jeff had his back to Sasha as he spoke, but his poise and tone were still demanding. Sasha flinched as he spoke. His voice was so controlled, but what she had jut seen showed how on the edge he was. She knew if she didn't say the right things in the right way he could switch.  
  
"I don't know much. I met Ross again a couple of years ago. We were together for a bit, it's true he paid for the car. After about 6 months I came home to see him hit Max. I kicked him out, haven't seen him since."  
  
"Did you know about this?" Jeff spoke gesturing to their situation.  
  
"I swear I didn't." Sasha spoke quietly. Jeff made no response. Sasha waited uncomfortable with the silence, but knowing she had to leave it to Jeff to respond next.  
  
Jeff silently fought his own battle. He knew he couldn't trust himself completely, he knew he couldn't trust his feeling, neither the rage he felt, nor the love. He took a deep breath and spoke softly but demandingly.  
  
"I want you out of here."  
  
"But, Jeff." Sasha sounded almost pleading. "You need me."  
  
"I don't need anyone Sasha, least of all you. I can't trust you, so I can't have you around. It's as simple as that, I'd of thought that you would have figured that out." Sasha turned away from Jeff's back as he spoke, but then reconsidered her position.  
  
"You know what Jeff," She shouted as she turned back to him. "Its not that you don't need me, its that I don't need you. You don't run this fucking show. I do. The old Sasha is back and you're not about to walk all over her."  
  
Slowly and purposefully Jeff turned around to face Sasha. "You know what.?" He nodded and a pair of arms grabbed Sasha from behind. They grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her back, before deftly her wrists with a rope. She fought vainly for a minute before drooping, tired. Jeff leant into her ear and whispered spitefully. "The old Sasha was a bitch." 


End file.
